The report emphasizes risk Vulnerable connected device New ransomware attacks are reported almost every day.
Ordr, the leader in agentless security for all connected devices, today released its annual report on the state of connected devices, entitled “The Rise of Machines in 2021: The State of Connected Devices-IT, Internet of Things, IoMT, and OT”.
The 2021 report addresses the cybersecurity challenges associated with the pandemic, including the growth of connected devices and the associated increase in security risks posed by these devices, as threat actors use chaos to launch attacks.
The research combines 12 months (June 2020 to June 2021) security risk and trend analysis of the company’s more than 500 deployments in the healthcare, life sciences, retail, and manufacturing verticals.
42% of connected devices are non-agent or non-agent
In this year’s report, the number of non-agent and non-agent devices increased to 42% (compared to 32% of non-agent or non-agent devices in 2020). These devices include security agents that are critical to business operations. Since almost half of the devices in the network are agentless or non-agent, organizations need to supplement their endpoint security policies with network-based security methods to discover and protect these devices.
Pelotons, Sonos, Alexas, and Teslas found on the Internet
As a sign of the times, Ordr also found that popular consumer “devices” are usually connected to corporate networks, including Peloton, Sonos speakers, game consoles, Alexas and Teslas. Although the 2020 Rise of Machines report emphasized the use of unapproved shadow IoT devices, personal devices have tripled this year, increasing the threat landscape and providing threat actors with a large amount of data to analyze targets.
Outdated operating systems pose the greatest risk, especially in the healthcare sector
Ordr has determined that approximately 19% of deployments use devices running outdated Windows 7 and older operating systems, and nearly 34% of deployments use devices running Windows 8 and Windows 10, which are expected to end in 2023 and 2025, respectively cycle. One of the most disturbing findings of the report was the discovery that 15% of medical devices and 32% of medical imaging devices were running on outdated operating systems. This is because many medical devices will operate for many years and cannot be easily replaced due to cost reasons. Segmentation is the only way to ensure the safety of these devices, keep them in normal operation, and avoid the cost of replacing devices early.
Ordr CEO Greg Murphy said:
“We have once again discovered an alarming and worrying number of vulnerabilities and risks in connected devices. This is an important reminder that organizations must have full visibility and security of everything connected to their network.”
“As the number of connected devices increases, the number and complexity of attacks against them will increase.”
Other findings include:
- 46% of connected devices are vulnerable to moderate and highly severe attacksThe main attacks include external communications with malicious URLs, such as Darkside and Conti ransomware sites, followed by attacks due to vulnerable operating systems, and finally lateral movement, such as exploits and active threats such as Cobalt Strike or Eternal Blue /tool.
- 55% of deployments have devices with orphaned user access. Devices with orphaned accounts retain the same access rights as when associated with active users. These isolated user accounts provide a way for privilege escalation and lateral movement.
The report also includes a series of useful steps that organizations should take to achieve zero trust in networked devices.
